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Abstract
Hafnia alvei is a Gram-negative facultatively anaerobic bacillus that constitutes part of the human gut flora. Until recently, H. alvei strains could be mistakenly identified by conventional methods, miniaturisation or automatic systems as members of the Serratia, Escherichia, Citrobacter, Yokenella, Obesumbacterium or Salmonella genera. Consequently, molecular techniques were required for their definitive identification in the clinical laboratory. In addition, a new Hafnia species, H. paralvei, has recently appeared, which undoubtedly includes many of the strains reported in the literature as H. alvei. Alrhough H. alvei isolation from human clinical specimens remains uncommon, the development of drug resistance due to this species is emerging and it is likely that this organism will gain increasing importance in the future. Moreover, although H. alvei shares some virulence mechanisms with other Gram-negative enteropathogens, little is known about the factors that contribute to its pathogenesis in humans. The present article reviews the current identification methods, antimicrobial resistance and virulence factors of this bacterium.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Ramos-Vivas
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Valdecilla (IDIVAL), Santander, España.
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Padilla D, Acosta F, Ramos-Vivas J, Grasso V, Bravo J, El Aamri F, Real F. The pathogenHafnia alveiin veterinary medicine: a review. JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL RESEARCH 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/09712119.2014.963086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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3
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Clinical and laboratory diagnostic characteristics and cytotoxigenic potential of Hafnia alvei and Hafnia paralvei strains. J Clin Microbiol 2011; 49:3122-6. [PMID: 21795516 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00866-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A collection of 68 Hafnia strains previously identified to the species level by 16S rRNA gene sequencing were investigated for simple phenotypic properties that could aid in their recognition in the clinical laboratory. Four tests, including malonate utilization, fermentation of salicin and d-arabinose, and expression of β-glucosidase activity, correctly assigned each strain to either Hafnia alvei or H. paralvei. Antibiotic susceptibility profiles were generated for 35 H. alvei and H. paralvei isolates using Etest strips for 24 antibiotics. All strains were susceptible to aminoglycosides, quinolones, carbapenems, and monobactams. Most of the Hafnia isolates had a colistin MIC of ≥2 μg/ml. Sequencing of an internal ampC gene fragment allowed genotypic differentiation of the two Hafnia species. Approximately 70% of the hafniae tested additionally produced a cytolytic toxin active on Vero cells which may play a role in gastroenteritis.
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Niedziela T, Kenne L, Lugowski C. Novel O-antigen of Hafnia alvei PCM 1195 lipopolysaccharide with a teichoic acid-like structure. Carbohydr Res 2010; 345:270-4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2009.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2009] [Revised: 10/30/2009] [Accepted: 11/03/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Palaniswamy C, Selvaraj DR, Selvaraj T. Gangrenous cholecystitis caused by Hafnia alvei: a case report and review of literature. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2009; 10:361-3. [PMID: 19497550 DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2009.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2009] [Accepted: 03/03/2009] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Donato KA, Zareie M, Jassem AN, Jandu N, Alingary N, Carusone SC, Johnson-Henry KC, Sherman PM. Escherichia albertii and Hafnia alvei are candidate enteric pathogens with divergent effects on intercellular tight junctions. Microb Pathog 2008; 45:377-85. [PMID: 18930803 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2008.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2008] [Revised: 08/27/2008] [Accepted: 09/12/2008] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Attaching-effacing lesion-inducing Escherichia albertii and the related, but non-attaching-effacing organism, Hafnia alvei, are both implicated as enteric pathogens in humans. However, effects of these bacteria on epithelial cells are not well-characterized. Related enteropathogens, including enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7, decrease epithelial barrier function by disrupting intercellular tight junctions in polarized epithelia. Therefore, this study assessed epithelial barrier function and tight junction protein distribution in polarized epithelia following bacterial infections. Polarized epithelial (MDCK-I and T84) cells grown on filter supports were infected apically with E. coli O157:H7, E. albertii, and H. alvei for 16h at 37 degrees C. All strains decreased transepithelial electrical resistance and increased permeability to a dextran probe in a host cell-dependent manner. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that both E. coli O157:H7 and E. albertii, but not H. alvei, caused a redistribution of the tight junction protein zona occludens-1. In contrast to E. coli O157:H7, E. albertii and H. alvei did not redistribute claudin-1. Western blotting of whole cell protein extracts demonstrated that each bacterium caused differential changes in tight junction protein expression, dependent on the host cell. These findings demonstrate that E. albertii and H. alvei are candidate enteric pathogens that have both strain-specific and host epithelial cell-dependent effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin A Donato
- Cell Biology Program, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Room 8409, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8
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Katzenellenbogen E, Kocharova NA, Zatonsky GV, Bogulska M, Witkowska D, Shashkov AS, Knirel YA, Romanowska E. Structure of the O-Specific Polysaccharide ofHafnia Alvei23 Having an Oligosaccharide-Phosphate Repeating Unit. J Carbohydr Chem 2008. [DOI: 10.1080/07328309908544018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Abstract
The genus Hafnia, a member of the family Enterobacteriaceae, consists of gram-negative bacteria that are occasionally implicated in both intestinal and extraintestinal infections in humans. Despite the fact that the genus currently contains only a single species (H. alvei), more extensive phylogenetic depth (two or more species) is apparent based upon DNA relatedness and 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies. Hafnia causes a variety of systemic infections, including septicemia and pneumonia; however, its role as a gastrointestinal pathogen is controversial. Many of the data supporting a role for hafniae as enteric pathogens were incorrectly attributed to this genus rather than to the actual pathogen, Escherichia albertii. There are numerous gaps in our understanding of this genus, including ecologic habitats and population genetics, disease-producing role in animals, phenetic and genetic methods useful in distinguishing genomospecies within the H. alvei complex, and bona fide pathogenicity factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Michael Janda
- Microbial Diseases Laboratory, 850 Marina Bay Parkway, Room E164, Richmond, CA 94804, USA.
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Candoni A, Trevisan R, Filì C, Tiribelli M, Fanin R. Abdominal abscess and Hafnia alvei septicemia occurring during the aplastic phase after autologous stem-cell transplantation in a patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. J Infect Chemother 2005; 10:303-6. [PMID: 16163467 DOI: 10.1007/s10156-004-0341-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2004] [Accepted: 08/09/2004] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Hafnia alvei is a motile gram-negative bacterium that is rarely isolated from human specimens, but that sometimes can be found as part of the gastrointestinal flora. Here we report a rare case of Hafnia alvei septicemia with an abdominal abscess in a 60-year-old woman with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma involving the spleen, liver, and then lymph nodes. She initially received a splenectomy, and, over a 2-year period, four courses of chemotherapy. After achieving complete remission status, she underwent autologous peripheral blood stem-cell transplantation (PBSCT). During the aplastic phase following transplantation, the patient developed fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, with blood cultures positive for Hafnia alvei and an abscess in the splenic recess. Considering the high surgical risk, the infection was treated, successfully, with antibiotics (imipenem/cilastatin), without surgery or computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous drainage. Infections due to Hafnia alvei are rare, and this is the first reported case of Hafnia alvei septicemia in an adult hematologic patient undergoing a stem-cell transplantation procedure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Candoni
- Division of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Department of Medical and Morphological Researches, University Hospital, Udine, Italy.
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Stock I, Rahman M, Sherwood KJ, Wiedemann B. Natural antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and biochemical identification of Escherichia albertii and Hafnia alvei strains. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2005; 51:151-63. [PMID: 15766600 DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2004.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2004] [Accepted: 10/19/2004] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Bangladeshi diarrheagenic Hafnia alvei-like strains have been described recently as the new species Escherichia albertii (Int J Syst Evolut Microbiol. 2003;53:807-810). The natural susceptibility of 21 E. albertii and 76 H. alvei strains to 69 antimicrobial agents was examined, applying a microdilution procedure in IsoSensitest broth (for all the strains) and cation-adjusted Mueller-Hinton broth (for some strains). Examining the phenotypic features of both taxa with commercial identification systems and conventional tests, a database for an accurate biochemical separation of E. albertii from H. alvei was also established. Both taxa were naturally sensitive or sensitive and of intermediate susceptibility to aminoglycosides, acylureidopenicillins, ticarcillin, several cephalosporins, carbapenems, aztreonam, quinolones, folate pathway inhibitors, and nitrofurantoin. They were naturally resistant to tetracycline, penicillin G, oxacillin, all macrolides except for azithromycin, lincosamides, streptogramins, glycopeptides, rifampicin, and fusidic acid. Taxon-related differences in natural susceptibility affecting clinical assessment criteria were seen with doxycycline, minocycline, aminopenicillins, some cephalosporins, azithromycin, and fosfomycin. E. albertii was more susceptible than H. alvei to these agents and was naturally sensitive to all beta-lactams (except for penicillin G and oxacillin), azithromycin, and fosfomycin. H. alvei was naturally resistant or of intermediate susceptibility to all tetracyclines, amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanate, ampicillin-sulbactam, narrow-spectrum cephalosporins, azithromycin, and fosfomycin. Motile malonate-negative Hafnia strains (indicating genospecies 2 of the H. alvei complex) were less susceptible to some cephalosporins than nonmotile, malonate-positive hafniae (indicating genospecies 1). Proline deaminase, hydroxyproline amidase, tripeptidase, chitinase, Voges-Proskauer reaction, and assimilation of histidine as well as acid production from glycerol, rhamnose, and xylose were suitable tests to separate strains of E. albertii from those of the H. alvei complex. Although out of the scope of this study, it should be noted that several strains of E. albertii showed acquired resistances to some penicillins and antifolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo Stock
- Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
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Dag S, Niedziela T, Dzieciatkowska M, Lukasiewicz J, Jachymek W, Lugowski C, Kenne L. The O-acetylation patterns in the O-antigens of Hafnia alvei strains PCM 1200 and 1203, serologically closely related to PCM 1205. Carbohydr Res 2004; 339:2521-7. [PMID: 15476713 DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2004.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2004] [Accepted: 09/03/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Serological tests revealed immunochemical similarities between the lipopolysaccharides of Hafnia alvei strains PCM 1200, 1203 and 1205. Immunoblotting and ELISA showed cross-reactions between the strains. NMR spectroscopy showed that the O-deacetylated O-specific polysaccharides isolated from lipopolysaccharides of H. alvei strains PCM 1200 and 1203 possessed the same composition and sequence as the O-deacetylated O-specific polysaccharide of H. alvei strain PCM 1205, that is a glycerol teichoic-acid-like polymer with a repeating unit of the following structure: [carbohydrate structure: see text] NMR spectroscopic studies of the polysaccharides concluded that O-3 of the side chain beta-D-GlcpNAc is partially O-acetylated (50-80%) in both investigated strains. In strain PCM 1203 an additional O-acetyl group (50-80%) is linked to O-6 of the chain -->3)-alpha-D-GlcpNAc-(1--> residue. The structural features of the isolated O-specific polysaccharides were also the same as those of the O-specific polysaccharides on the bacterial cells directly observed by the HR-MAS NMR technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Semiha Dag
- Department of Chemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7015, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
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Nimri LF, Meqdam M. Enteropathogens associated with cases of gastroenteritis in a rural population in Jordan. Clin Microbiol Infect 2004; 10:634-9. [PMID: 15214876 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2004.00891.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Stool specimens were collected from 180 patients belonging to a population of recently settled Bedouins in Jordan who presented with acute or persistent diarrhoea and other symptoms, and from 100 non-diarrhoeal controls. All samples were examined for parasites and bacterial pathogens by culture and PCR. Bacterial isolates were tested for their susceptibility to common antimicrobial agents. Pathogens and potential enteropathogens were identified from 140 (77.8%) of the patients, with more than one pathogen being recovered from 67 (37.2%) patients. Potentially pathogenic parasites were observed in 90 (50%) patients; those that were associated significantly with diarrhoea were Giardia lamblia, Blastocystis hominis, Cryptosporidium spp., Entamoeba histolytica and Cyclospora cayetanensis. Pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 72 (40%) patients, and, of these, 62.5% were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and 30.6% of these were multiresistant. Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli strains were found in 14.3% of the patients and 2.9% of the control subjects (not statistically significant). The most common enteropathogenic bacteria found were Shigella spp., Campylobacter jejuni and Yersinia enterocolitica. Unusual bacterial species were the predominant organisms recovered in a few cases and could represent a possible cause of diarrhoea. Overall, there was a high endemicity of diarrhoeal disease in the area studied. Risk factors that correlated significantly with contracting diarrhoea were socio-economic status, education, use of unchlorinated well or tank water, and a low level of personal hygiene.
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Affiliation(s)
- L F Nimri
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jordan University of Science & Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Michael Janda
- Microbial Diseases Laboratory, Division of Communicable Disease Control, California Department of Health Services, Berkeley, California 94704-1011, USA.
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Jachymek W, Czaja J, Niedziela T, Lugowski C, Kenne L. Structural studies of the O-specific polysaccharide of Hafnia alvei strain PCM 1207 lipopolysaccharide. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY 1999; 266:53-61. [PMID: 10542050 DOI: 10.1046/j.1432-1327.1999.00813.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The structure of the O-specific side-chain of the Hafnia alvei strain PCM 1207 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been investigated. Methylation analysis, partial acid hydrolysis, matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) MS, fast atom bombardment (FAB)-MS/MS and 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopy were the principal methods used. Glycerol phosphate was identified as a constituent in the polysaccharide and the following structure of a pentasaccharide repeating unit was established: The polysaccharide is partially (approximately 10%) substituted with O-acetyl groups. The lipopolysaccharide was also subjected to high resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR analysis, which showed both the signals of the O-specific polysaccharide as well as several signals from unsubstituted core oligosaccharides. This confirmed the presence of the described structure in the native LPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Jachymek
- Department of Chemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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Janda JM, Abbott SL, Albert MJ. Prototypal diarrheagenic strains of Hafnia alvei are actually members of the genus Escherichia. J Clin Microbiol 1999; 37:2399-401. [PMID: 10405374 PMCID: PMC85237 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.37.8.2399-2401.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We analyzed five bacterial strains, designated 19982, 9194, 10457, 10790, and 12502, that were isolated from stool specimens of individuals with diarrheal illness by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Dhaka, Bangladesh (M. J. Albert, S. M. Faruque, M. Ansaruzzaman, M. M. Islam, K. Haider, K. Alam, I. Kabir, and R. Robins-Browne, J. Med. Microbiol. 37:310-314, 1992). The strains were initially identified as Hafnia alvei with a commercial identification system and were reported to contain the eae gene of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. Results of conventional biochemical analyses, testing of susceptibility to cephalothin, lysis by a Hafnia-specific phage, and amplification of the outer membrane protein gene phoE with species-specific primers support the identification of these strains as members of the genus Escherichia rather than Hafnia alvei. These strains varied from typical E. coli strains by their inability to produce acid from lactose or D-sorbitol and failure to elaborate the enzyme beta-D-glucuronidase. PCR analysis confirmed previous findings that the strains were positive for the eae gene and negative for other virulence markers present among recognized categories of diarrheagenic E. coli. Our findings support the hypothesis that these strains are a new category of diarrheagenic isolates belonging to the genus Escherichia and illustrate the importance of using multiple methodologies when identifying new bacterial agents of diarrheal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Janda
- Microbial Diseases Laboratory, Division of Communicable Disease Control, California Department of Health Services, Berkeley, California 94704-1011, USA.
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Ridell J, Siitonen A, Paulin L, Lindroos O, Korkeala H, Albert MJ. Characterization of Hafnia alvei by biochemical tests, random amplified polymorphic DNA PCR, and partial sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. J Clin Microbiol 1995; 33:2372-6. [PMID: 7494030 PMCID: PMC228415 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.33.9.2372-2376.1995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Hafnia alvei strains which possess the attachment-effacement gene (eaeA) may have clinical importance as new diarrhea-causing pathogens and should therefore be differentiated from other H. alvei strains. We characterized diarrheal H. alvei strains, which were positive in the PCR test for the eaeA gene, using biochemical tests not routinely used for identification of members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, and compared them with eaeA-negative strains isolated from different clinical and nonclinical sources to find characteristics useful for identification. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR and partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene were utilized to study the genetic diversity of the isolates. The eaeA-positive strains were found to have many characteristic biochemical properties. Negative reactions in the 2-ketogluconate and histidine assimilation tests and a positive reaction in the 3-hydroxybenzoate assimilation test may be useful in routine diagnostics. Nearly identical RAPD-PCR profiles and identical 353-bp fragments of the 16S rRNA genes indicated little genetic diversity among the eaeA-positive strains. The low level of homology (92%) in the partial 16S rRNA genes of eaeA-positive and -negative H. alvei strains raises questions about the taxonomic positioning of eaeA-positive H. alvei.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Ridell
- Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene, University of Helsinki, Finland
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Ridell J, Siitonen A, Paulin L, Mattila L, Korkeala H, Albert MJ. Hafnia alvei in stool specimens from patients with diarrhea and healthy controls. J Clin Microbiol 1994; 32:2335-7. [PMID: 7814573 PMCID: PMC264000 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.32.9.2335-2337.1994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
We found an epidemiological association of Hafnia alvei with diarrhea, because the organism was isolated from 12 of 77 (16%) adult Finnish tourists to Morocco who developed diarrhea and from 0 of 321 tourists without diarrhea (P < 0.001). From another group of 112 adult Finnish diarrheal patients, only 2 (2%) yielded H. alvei. In contrast to some Bangladeshi strains of H. alvei, the Finnish strains were negative for the attachment-effacement lesion by an in vitro fluorescent acting staining test and also did not show homology to the Escherichia coli attachment-effacement gene (eaeA) by PCR. These results suggest that a mechanism or mechanisms other than the attachment-effacement lesion may also be involved in the association of H. alvei with diarrhea.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Ridell
- Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene, University of Veterinary Medicine, Helsinki, Finland
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